Brandon Baxter
)]] Name: Brandon Baxter Gender: Male Age: 18 School: P.J. Hobbs Senior High School Hobbies and Interests: '''Competitive Sports, History, Impressions, Comedy television '''Appearance: Brandon is 6’3”, and weighs 219lbs at last weighing. He has short cropped brown hair almost to his skull, and blue eyes. He has a body that has been thickened by physical exercise. Broad shoulders and large biceps compliment a long torso, while his legs are thick with muscle. His face is rounded, accented by the beard that he keeps unkempt and thick. He has a high forehead and small eyes. His knuckles are notably scarred, and he has a tattoo of the initials “K.M.” in black ink across his bicep. His skin is tanned on the places it’s exposed to the sun, leaving his calves, arms and neck bronzed, but his torso and thighs notably paler. Brandon usually dresses in layers, favouring dress shirts unbuttoned over T-shirts with some form of slogan or saying printed on them. He is rarely seen without jeans - often dirty and ripped, and prefers white sneakers to any other sort of footwear. On the day of the abduction, he wore a black Oakland Raiders jersey with 67 on the back, with a blue collared shirt beneath it. He also wore jeans and a pair of white sneakers. Biography: Born to Debbie and Ray Baxter on April 12th, Brandon was the second of two children born from the couple. Debbie was a high school dropout who worked an entry-level position as an underwriter in an insurance firm, and Ray was a floater, going from job to job as it suited him rather than working at any set career. The two were married at twenty three, and the strains of two young boys on the household finances proved to be enough pressure to split the couple apart when Brandon turned four. Debbie took the children and sought to raise them alone, while Ray moved in with a girlfriend across town and got serious about a job in construction. While Debbie and Ray agreed on his payment of child support, this grew more and more sporadic as the years went on. With a single mother, Jordan and Brandon Baxter grew up on overcharged credit cards and daycare, due to the high cost of living and the pressures of a single income on a three person home. Added to this was Ray’s halting his child support bills and Debbie’s lack of both funding and time to take him to court, placing additional strain upon the family. There were no solid role models in their lives save for their mother leaving them without a father figure. Debbie’s sister, Kathy Morrison, would try to spend as much time as possible with the boys, aware of the pressure on Debbie and wanting to help as often as possible. When in pre-school, both brothers displayed a tendency to be over sensitive towards other children’s jibes, but had vastly different ways of dealing with them. While Jordan was quick to cry and seek adult comfort, Brandon launched himself at his insulters with a fury that surprised his caretakers. This was doubly true at home, where Brandon seemed to resent his mother’s new boyfriend, Dave. Through counseling and discussions with various professionals, Debbie learned that there wasn’t anything psychologically wrong with Brandon besides a quick temper. Counseling sessions and exercises designed to help Brandon with his rage issues took place. Brandon learned breathing exercises and how to hold himself above petty insults, and the effects of these lessons became apparent when Brandon entered school. Rather than lash out at the other students as he had done when younger, Brandon showed calm and restraint, taking well to the coping mechanisms his mother and counselors had taught him. He showed the most improvement when his aunt Kathy would visit. When Brandon was entering grade two and Jordan was nearing completion of elementary school, Debbie married Dave, and changed her last name to Lowville to fit his. The decision was made between the two to keep Jordan and Brandon’s last names as they were, leaving the option of changing them up to the boys when they were older. Dave worked as a software engineer for a company that made heavy duty machinery, and his steady income allowed the family to move into the suburbs of New Jersey, rather than the small New York apartment that they had once shared. Brandon had difficulty with the move, telling his parents that he liked the apartment better and wanted to see his old friends more. He also showed signs of resentment towards Dave as in his mind, he already had a dad and did not need a second. As the years went on, Ray’s weekend visits became more and more sporadic as he re-married and had a child, a fact that Brandon refused to talk about. Dave and Debbie, too, had a baby girl of their own, naming it Jessica. Brandon often stated his plain dislike of Jessica, loudly exclaiming that the house was too small for five people. When Dave needed to discipline Brandon, the boy became adamant and easily tempered, refusing to listen to his new male role model. As Brandon grew, however, his body became much bigger than the boys in his class. In grade six, he always had to stand in the back row for photos, a fact of which he was immeasurably proud. He found that he could use his size to his advantage against the other kids in sports and on the playground, and began venting his anger at his home situation at the school, especially on days when Dave attempted to punish or scold him. Teachers began sending notes of concern to Debbie and Dave regarding Brandon’s behaviour, especially when he wanted something from another student. This resulted in more counselling, where Brandon learned the consequences of his actions on other kids, though whether or not the counselling took was a matter of debate amongst the household. Despite these incidents, Brandon developed a reputation as a youth that could have a biting and dry wit. He had a knack for facial expressions and vocal imitation, especially of classmates and teachers, that made many students request impressions. This resulted in several shallow friendships, though few of these relationships deepened due to Brandon’s tendency to be both easily offended and moody. Most kept him at a safe distance, recognizing him as a shallow friend but a bitter enemy to have. During his last year of middle school, Brandon was given a DVD boxset for his birthday, containing a highlight reel of the Just for Laughs comedy festival. Brandon’s sense of humour and knack for impressions found him treasuring the gift, and at least one of the discs was always in his DVD player to serve as background noise or a distraction from homework. By the time he graduated middle school, he had most of the acts memorized and had a firm opinion of which was funniest. This began a long admiration of new comedy acts which Brandon would seek out, memorize, and perform amongst his fellow students. In his first year of high school, Brandon’s aunt Kathy died, sending Brandon into a slow spiral. Over three month’s time, his tendency to subtly push other students for things grew into outright intimidation. When this escalated into tossing another student’s book bag off of an overpass and breaking his glasses, Brandon was expelled from school for three days and required to write an apology. The counselling sessions resumed, and Dave, deciding his son-in-law needed an outlet, introduced Brandon to the game of football when Brandon was fifteen, starting with Dave’s favourite team, the New York Jets. Unsurprisingly, Brandon sought out other teams to support other than his stepfather’s, settling on the Oakland Raiders - a team renowned for intimidation tactics and highly physical play - as his home team. Taking to it like a duck to water, Brandon tried out for the school football team, with aims at playing the quarterback position. Brandon proved to be a very good leader in specific situations, and though his interest in the strategy side of the game waned, his love of physical activity and desire for attention made him a natural fit in the position. The outlet helped immeasurably to deal with his issues of rage, though his reputation followed him throughout high school. He didn’t outright physically abuse classmates again, but he was very vocal in his dislike of certain peers, using his size and strength to vacate seats or snag better places in line. Though Dave and Brandon shared a love of the game in common, the two never truly connected or moved past the early struggle for balance. The most bonding time that they shared was when Dave would discuss games Brandon had played- often critiquing Brandon’s play. Due to the increased interest in sports, Brandon took to dieting and spending time at a gym with a focus that his parents hadn’t seen before. He followed guides on eating in order to be an effective quarterback on the field; putting on many pounds of muscle and becoming quicker on his feet and stronger in arms and legs. For every one of his birthdays, he received a new DVD of a new comedian, which evolved into part of his workout routine. He liked to do a light series of exercises in his room at home, with Robin Williams or Lewis Black blaring through his television set. He showed very little interest in studying game film - despite his coaches’ growing insistence - preferring instead to take each game as it came rather than prepare ahead of time. When Brandon turned eighteen, he received Kathy’s initials on his bicep as a way of commemorating her. It was also around this time that Jordan decided to change his last name officially from Baxter to Lowville. Brandon didn’t render an opinion on the change, but he threw himself into his training regimen twice as hard as a result. Brandon’s extroverted and boisterous nature continued throughout high school, and blossomed when he perfected his ability to imitate facial expressions and voices. He’s often a source of amusement for his teammates and fellow students, though the caution around him continued due to his history of taking offence and bad temper. At home, Brandon feels somewhat on the outside looking in in regard to his family, seeing Jordan and Jessica’s relationship with Dave as normal and healthy in regard to his strained one. He’s still very close with his mother, but as he advances in age, he finds that they have less and less time to communicate face to face. Brandon is of average intelligence. He does well in history classes, especially the World War II era. He was first introduced to the conflict by a documentary on television, and became fascinated as a result. Oftentimes at home he can be found diving into old wikipedia articles in his spare time, reading about Himmler and Churchill in order to gain an insight into the war’s major players. He also does well in physical education, but that’s more out of what he sees as a personal duty than an enjoyment of the classes themselves. He sees it as his job to be as fit and healthy as he can be in order to better contribute to the football team. He participates actively in law and social studies, but does not consider either subject one of his favourites. Where he struggles in academics is science and maths, anything that requires large amounts of concentration for extended periods of time. He finds facts and figures boring and prefers to use imagination and supplementation to get his learning. This results in having mixed feelings regarding programming and business class, since the two often blend. Brandon’s hobbies include watching stand-up comedy and the NFL, paying extra attention to his beloved Raiders. His favourite comedians are Robin Williams, whom he considers a personal hero, and Jim Carrey, though the latter’s stand up material he doesn’t enjoy quite as much. He surfs wikipedia on occasion, his interests lying more with biographies of historical figures than anything else. He’s also known to jog at night, with only his music as company. Brandon does not have any ambition beyond graduating high school, and prefers to think about his next big game rather than think about applying to college and getting an actual career. While he’s a very good quarterback and his physical attributes are of interest to some scouts, his disinterest in preparation and lack of strategic mind result in very unflattering reports. Advantages: Brandon has size and strength on his side, as well as leadership qualities. He understands tactics and movement, especially in close range situations. Disadvantages: Brandon thinks with his emotions, especially when riled up, and has made more enemies than friends throughout high school. He also is impulsive, and is not likely to think of consequences of his actions before carrying them out. He doesn’t have any trusting relationships throughout high school due to his easily-offended nature. Original Profile: '''Brandon Baxter (V5) '''Designated Number: Male Student No. 06 --- Designated Weapon: Bowie Knife Conclusion Scary monster? Super creep? I think not, though. B06 may have a lot going for him on a surface examination, but an impulsive nature combined with plentiful enemies just doesn't look good for him. Oh, and yes, not that Bowie. I know. The above biography is as written by The Homeless Beard. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made. Evaluations Handled By: The Homeless Beard Kills: 'None '''Killed By: '''Suicide via slitting his throat '''Collected Weapons: '''Bowie Knife (designated weapon, to Maxwell Lombardi, returned) '''Allies: 'Daniel Whitten, Maxwell Lombardi, Yasmin Carrol '''Enemies: Mid-game Evaluation: '''Brandon started his day early, and made his way to the isolated cabin, where he sounded a whistle to warn anyone inside of his presence. The door was answered by Maxwell Lombardi, Brandon didn't hesitate to approach and try to confirm if there more people in the house. Maxwell was hesitant, but confirmed the presence of Daniel Whitten, who was sprawled on the floor, barely responsive, Brandon was quickly by Daniel's side while he confirmed Maxwell wasn't the culprit verbally, he got Daniel up by shining a flashlight into the boy's eyes. They were all up and functioning, and were joined by Yasmin Carrol from deeper within the house. Brandon took de facto charge, questioning the others about what they'd seen and maintaining his vigil over Daniel's state, he confirmed the other's weapons, passed his to Maxwell when Maxwell confirmed he'd received a joke weapon. Brandon wanted to scout out the island and return, intending to make the cabin a safe area. Maxwell argued for a bit, concerned that Yasmin and Daniel couldn't protect themselves, Brandon recommended a barricade. With that worked out Brandon and Maxwell moved on. They silently made their way to the cliffs. They were found by Sarah Miller, but before she could explain herself two others appeared, Aria Samuels and Paris Ardennes. The latter was particularly of interest to Maxwell, when Paris decided to check out the nearby lighthouse Maxwell ran after. Maxwell wasn't long, but when he returned without Paris, Aria was rather suspicious. Maxwell brushed him off, but Brandon was also concerned enough to demand the knife back. Suddenly things happened too quickly. Maxwell was starting to lead them all back to reconnect with Paris when there was yelling from that direction, and a congregated group. They ran, but too late to stop Jasmine King from knocking Paris over and stomping on him. Jasmine's allies, Christopher Schwartz and Brigid Paxton, fled. Sarah did nothing, while Maxwell and Aria charged Jasmine. Aria got in a punch, Maxwell tackled Jasmine down but she was able to fire her gun, forcing Brandon to play defense for the prone Paris. '''Post-Game Evaluation: Memorable Quotes: ''"Keep it secret, keep it safe."'' ''-- To Maxwell, giving him the Bowie Knife Other/Trivia Threads ''Below is a list of threads that contain Brandon, in chronological order. Memories of the Past: *Remember The Days *Fuzzy Horizontal Lines Pregame: *Torn Jeans and Prom Queens Second Chances V2: *A Pity Sight for the Magpie *Hi Kids! Do You Like Violence? *Roughing the Passer *Myopia *Brandone (Ft. DJ KILLJI) Your Thoughts Whether you were a fellow handler in Second Chances or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Brandon Baxter. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here! Category:Characters Category:Second Chances Characters Category:Second Chances